Shame, I was interested in Palpatine more. Dunno maybe I am going directly to The Hand Of Thrawn dualogy and then to Jacen Solo and Yuhzaan Vong. Does Jacen story is in novels or in comics (I am not a big fan of comics)?

Dunno maybe I am going directly to The Hand Of Thrawn dualogy and then to Jacen Solo. Does Jacen story is in novels or in comics (I am not a big fan of comics)?

Well you could start the New Jedi Order books after having read the Hand of Thrawn two-parter (maybe picking up Survivors Quest if you are a fan of Zahn), in which Jacen is a very central character.

I read Darth Plagueis and I really liked it. It was well linked with the movies and told the hidden story of Palps.

Anyway, it looks that I am going in Hand of Thrawn and then to the New Jedi Order books. I am not the biggest fan of Zahn, though I think that The Thrawn Trilogy are probably the best novels in EU. But I heard that in some other books he belittled very much with Vader, even to the degree of him being defeated by Mara Jade.

I'd give them a shot. Allegiance was a little dry but I had quite a bit of fun with Choices. Zahn does sort of strain credibility in Choices what with trying to have a book with the Big 3 and Mara in the same room without actually them coming into contact with each other. Mara is also much better with the blade than we were meant to believe from Zahn's Bantam stuff.

Ok but whats up with Mara Jade trying to hunt down Luke and the gang like twice? Its like the authors cant keep track of what theyre doing. Yeah Mara Jade was the Emperor's Hand at the time but while she has to go track Luke, Leia and Han down in Allegiance, in the next novel after that the author copies the same plot only that Mara has a small group of Stormtroopers with her.

That's what I have a problem with. Either stick with one novel where she's hunting them down but dont overdo it by writing another novel that feels like a remake or whatever

I'd give them a shot. Allegiance was a little dry but I had quite a bit of fun with Choices. Zahn does sort of strain credibility in Choices what with trying to have a book with the Big 3 and Mara in the same room without actually them coming into contact with each other. Mara is also much better with the blade than we were meant to believe from Zahn's Bantam stuff.

Eh, FWIW it's a different situation for Mara. It's long since been acknowledged that the Emperor basically had her linked to his own power-she started losing her skills once he died.

I've been a fan of that theory for a while. One could easily connect it to the Force Bonds between the Exile and Kreia, though perhaps to a lesser degree.

Yeah, I personally love that concept with Mara, precisely because it is a variation on the Exile's power. I love the concept of special Force affinities in different individuals; the Force is presented as so much broader than Force push and, if you're dark side, Force lightning.

I believe some even go as far as to say that Mara not only "siphoned" her power from the Emperor, but also from Luke and, possibly, Kyle Katarn. This does make a certain degree of sense, as anyone who played Mysteries of the Sith knows, she's extremely skilled in that game, but later, in the Jedi Academy Trilogy, she goes back to barely being able to even use the Force. With that retcon, though, it's as simple as the bond being broken when Kyle severed himself from the Force.

I also see Mara's "upgrade" as simply an attempt to logically fit his own stories in with the rest of SW timeline, which is definitely something to be commended from Zahn, as he seems to prefer to stick to his own stories for the most part. Mara wouldn't make a particularly good Force wielding assassin if she had only mediocre skills.

Long time Star Wars fan, read some books, comics and seen the shows and the movies dozens of times. BUT, now I think I should hop into a full on exploration into the Star Wars Universe

I'm in the middle of reading Red Harvest, then gonna reread Death Troopers. Should I

A. Start reading the after saga stories plus the few books like Lost Tribe that tie in
B. Read all of the Old Republic novels Graphic novels
C. Some Clone Wars/Empire/Rebellion novels. Scoundrels, Shadows of the Empire, Republic Commando, Darth Plagueis etc
So much to read, so little time! Well I got like 70 years ahead of my life, but still! Or should I just do the old fashion way and go chronologically?

Strictly Chronologically would not be the best idea...you'd be doomed to fail, for one thing. Dawn of the Jedi:Into the Void is the earliest in the timeline, and won't come out for months...and while you're reading, other books will be published. Also, things don't make as much sense chronologically sometimes...

Maybe a mix between C. and A...but really whatever you feel like.
As long as you feel like reading the Thrawn Trilogy.

I haven't followed the EU at all since finishing Legacy of the Force and with the news of Episode VII coming out I'm started to get back into Star Wars and really excited about it again! What books have come out since the last LOTF book that are really excellent and worth reading? Is the Fate of the Jedi series very good?

FOTJ has gotten somewhat... mixed reception, though it is a logical place to start after LOTF. However, there are a few books between the two series, if you'd like something smaller and, arguably, better. Those books are "Crosscurrent" and "Riptide" by Paul Kemp, which is a separate story from the ongoing LOTF/FOTJ storyline, and James Luceno's "Millennium Falcon", which can be read as a sort of prologue to FOTJ.

The first Star Wars books that I ever read were actually the Han Solo trilogy by A.C. Crispin. From there I fell in love with the EU. But as far as where to start, that's totally up to you. I suggest the Thrawn trilogy because they take place right after ROTJ, and they're just amazing books in general.